SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – It looks like interim San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins won’t be interim much longer, as she holds a large lead in her race to finish out ousted District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s term in office, according to preliminary election returns.

As of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jenkins won 56.3% of the vote in round three of ranked-choice voting, compared to John Hamasaki’s 43.7% of the vote, according to the San Francisco Department of Elections.

Joe Alioto Veronese was eliminated in the second round and Maurice Chenier in the first round.

Jenkins was appointed to the position of chief prosecutor by Mayor London Breed in July after the recall of Boudin, who was elected by San Francisco voters in 2019. Boudin, a self-styled progressive prosecutor, was held responsible by voters for the confluence of fentanyl dealing and other crimes, particularly thefts, that have plagued the City By The Bay in recent years.

Jenkins, a prosecutor in Boudin’s office who quit in Oct. 2021 to become a key spokesperson for the recall effort, promised to change that. She faced opposition from Alioto Veronese, who accused her of fealty to the mayor’s office, Hamasaki, who wanted a more progressive approach, and Maurice Chenier, who argued that the DA’s office has been ineffective since at least the Kamala Harris days.

Her time in office has been rocked with considerable controversy: the San Francisco Chronicle published a bombshell report that she was paid more than $100,000 to consult a nonprofit formed by a billionaire who helped bankroll the recall effort, despite claiming her role was strictly voluntary.

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That didn’t seem to matter to San Francisco voters, however, and Jenkins will have to make good on her promises or she may be threatened in the race for a full term as district attorney, which could come as early as next year.